‘Indian Mujahideen Has Links With Pakistan, Lashkar’

Indian Mujahideen (IM)’s capabilities have been neturalised to a great extent in recent months, but its linkages with the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and Pakistani patrons still remain intact, said government sources, a day after the militant group set off a bomb in the Hindu pilgrimage centre Varanasi, killing a child and injuring twenty five people. “We are not talking about the latest Varanasi blast specifically, but in general, IM has been an extension of Pakistani terror infrastructure. It was set up to make an argument that the group is homegrown,” the source said. He said several people have been taken into custody for interrogation in connection with the Varanasi blast, and no conclusion should be drawn while the investigations are still on.

The source said some concerted action taken by the security agencies in recent months had substantially reduced the capability of IM.

The government has already shared names, photographs and other details of around 20 active Indian Mujahideen cadres with all states and asked them to look for the terrorists. Most of the IM leadership is either in Pakistan or Gulf countries but five-six are still active in India. Most known IM faces hail from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala. These states have been asked to intensify their vigil.